That looks like the B plan for the Lakers. The only problem with it, is that besides Lebron and Carmelo (who have to opt out first) there arent many players who can be the new franchise player available if Dwight leaves. There are a lot of 2nd option type players in Wade and Bosh (if they opt out), Deng, Gay, Granger and Wall etc. A good part of the top players in this free agency class either have team options or are RFAs. Irving, Lillard, Thompson, Barnes, Faried, A Davis etc have team options which are most likely picked up. Basically George and Wall would be the guys we'd most likely go after who are RFAs. There is definetly a ton of talent in this 2014 group. It's just what we can actually get is the question.

It's obvious. You keep MDA because of Nash which is the only reason MDA is here in the first place. So it's not MDA or D12, it's MDA and Nash VS D12. In all honesty if you were D12 and you were concerned about the next 5 years, do you stay here or go to Houston? Take your purple and gold heart out of it and think logically. Houston has a very good team locked up for the next 4 years. We have no clue what the next fours years will look like. Unless we can DEFINATELY get a LeBron, Paul George and many other pieces in the next year and a half, why would he stay?? We screwed our selves when we went the OLD MAN route. We screwed ourselves when we didn't get rid of MWP when we had the chance. We screwed ourselves when we gave up ALL our picks and gave a 38 year old point guard a contract to play until he turns 41. Even MJ sucked at 40 and he didn't have to guard CP3, Rondo and George Hill nor did he have a bad back. Don't blame this ISH on D12. Mitch and Buss took a chance on what looks good on paper and Indiana is showing you how it should be done

I remember not too long ago during the Kwame Brown era when Jeanie Buss had to seat through the lottery along with the other loser of a franchise so you can't say Lakers cant become a lottery team because they've been in the lottery a couple of times before. It is a sad state but sometimes a team needs to hit rock bottom to be on top again. And this team is the only team I know that can hit rock bottom and be on top in a short period of time. The only thing that scratch my head is why the lakers love MDA so much and willing to do whatever it takes to keep him even if they have to lose a franchise player like D12.

Calm down and think. Houston has a very good player. A good player and meh.
Historically Lakers dominant franchise.
Hollywood.
Clean slate in just one more season.
Healthy Dwight= 28-12 Lakers

Really?? Are you not listening? THE FUTURE. Dwight would have one shot with the team we have next year. After that, Kobe, Nash, Pau and MWP are all likely to be gone. Then what?? Best case is playing with a 35 or 36 year old Kobe if he doesn't retire. A 41 year old Nash if he doesn't retire. A 34 year old Pau if he's allowed to stay. A good Unrestricted free agent at small forward and EARL CLARK. If you were one of the top 3 centers in the league and you were 28 years old, what would you do? If he stays and doesn't win next year it will be like Orlando all over again until D12 is 31 years old. Dwight and Paul George and the Nobodys

Get rid of D'Antoni and Dwight will more than likely stay. You don't keep D'Antoni to save face with the public if it means letting a superstar player walk away via free agency. It would take years to recover from something like that.

Funny thing is despite all our injuries we finished with the better record and as the better team that Houston in our matchups, especially the one that mattered where we beat them without Kobe or Nash.

Yet some are acting like they are the better team when in our worst and injury plagued season they still finished behind us.

They may have some kind of an upside but its a 2 year one.

If we're looking at a 5+ year plan then the Lakers are the obvious choice especially with their room to do damage in the 2014 off-season and the fact they already have a max contract superstar and defender with enough room to build around the star that would come here in 2014 AND Dwight. So longevity is on our side.

Houston would be more of a "one or two year run and then stuck where they are financially" if he were to go there.

Short term potential with long term suffering if a title isn't won in that short frame of time would be the Rockets.

Short term potential with long term potential plan to keep you contending for 5+ years into that max contract, would be the Lakers.

The Rockets barely made the playoffs being healthy most of the year still finishing behind us. But they are one player away from being a championship contender, apparently more than us despite the fact we have Kobe and the best shooting point guard in the league playing off ball to him...

Though Dwight could complete the puzzle over in Houston, a healthy Dwight completes the puzzle over here too.

A healthy Dwight completes the puzzle near anywhere he goes because he's that much of a difference maker beside another star.

The fact we're currently a better team than the Rockets and Mitch has a better plan for the future, and we can give him the extra year at 30 million dollars, I think the potential for him staying is very high. Unless he felt like going to a worse team than us in our worst injury plagued year that was one loss from not making the playoffs while remaining mostly healthy throughout the season for 30 million less.

Coaching decisions could weigh on the decision some, but we'll get our answer to that around July 2nd, till then we can only speculate. I have heard no updates whatsoever about any of the staff prospects after the news of D'antoni letting of people things sort of hit a standstill. Which may or may not mean something, because they were talking about how in a rush D'antoni was to quickly put together his coaching staff for next season.

The letting go ofs happened and the speculation as to who would replace them would happen..and then suddenly.. it just stopped. Makes me wonder why.

He had a job to do and he failed miserably...just like he always does.

So MDA failed misewrably, Mike Brown failed miserably, and Phil's last year he failed miserably.

Or did the players fail Phil?

All I know is when MDA had two superstars

Kobe and Dwight after his got his game up, it was a 28-12 record, so the MORE the team was around MDA, the better the team did. Aftyer Nash,Kobe, and Blake went down, I didn't expect to beat this SPURS team who is headed to the Finals, if they get ONE more victory.

So all I know is Dallas missed the playoffs and they have a coach who has won TITLE.

MDA cost a few games, but this season ws not simply about MDA.

Plus Phil is Done, and no one else is out there that's not a high risk

Do you think before you type? What kind of logic are you applying in comparing a perennial loser who...loses and a Hall of Fame professional basketball coach? MDA ALWAYS fails...if the basis of your pathetic argument is that PJ doesn't win every time then you might have a few screws loose.

Yeh all you know is that Mike D'Antoni can't win no matter who's on the roster. 28-12 had little to do with MDA and everything to do with the players doing it their way. So all the people that wanted to [expletive] about PJ and his salary, what exactly is the front office paying MDA for? They damn sure ain't paying him to win championships. The front office needs to wake the hell up and stop hiring league rejects for the cheap cheap.

That 28-12 record was due to Kobe playing like vintage Kobe, dropping 30+ points, 6-7 rebounds and 6-7 assists. All while controlling the offense. That record was due to Kobe isoing on the wing or in the post, reading defense and assisting. That kind of offense will not work in the playoffs once adjustments are made. Keep that ^ in mind, when discussing our 28-12 record or saying we had the 2nd or 3rd best record after the all-star break.

As for the Lakers plan B, IMO, if Dwight does not resign then they might trade Gasol to get players to fit D'Antonis style.

Houston will get better through the years. we'll get older and older and older. Especially with all the great draft picks we'll have the next couple years. LOL A healthy D12 is not going to help Nash's age and back. D12 is not going to help Kobe's injury. A healthy D12 is not going to help an old team with no draft picks win a championship. At our best and healthiest with this team we would struggle terribly with San Antonio, OKC, Clippers, Miami and Indiana at least. Now will we be better next year with D12?? Yes. But ring contenders; I don't think so and I want 6 for Kobe. It will take keeping Dwight and some major ballsy moves in the front office to fix this. 28 and 12 when most teams have given up doesn't mean crap. I will say it again; It will take a lucky trade like we got Pau and a free agent that just happens to have his breakout season after be acquired by the Lakers.

Funny thing is despite all our injuries we finished with the better record and as the better team that Houston in our matchups, especially the one that mattered where we beat them without Kobe or Nash.

Yet some are acting like they are the better team when in our worst and injury plagued season they still finished behind us.

They may have some kind of an upside but its a 2 year one.

If we're looking at a 5+ year plan then the Lakers are the obvious choice especially with their room to do damage in the 2014 off-season and the fact they already have a max contract superstar and defender with enough room to build around the star that would come here in 2014 AND Dwight. So longevity is on our side.

Houston would be more of a "one or two year run and then stuck where they are financially" if he were to go there.

Short term potential with long term suffering if a title isn't won in that short frame of time would be the Rockets.

Short term potential with long term potential plan to keep you contending for 5+ years into that max contract, would be the Lakers.

The Rockets barely made the playoffs being healthy most of the year still finishing behind us. But they are one player away from being a championship contender, apparently more than us despite the fact we have Kobe and the best shooting point guard in the league playing off ball to him...

Though Dwight could complete the puzzle over in Houston, a healthy Dwight completes the puzzle over here too.

A healthy Dwight completes the puzzle near anywhere he goes because he's that much of a difference maker beside another star.

The fact we're currently a better team than the Rockets and Mitch has a better plan for the future, and we can give him the extra year at 30 million dollars, I think the potential for him staying is very high. Unless he felt like going to a worse team than us in our worst injury plagued year that was one loss from not making the playoffs while remaining mostly healthy throughout the season for 30 million less.

Coaching decisions could weigh on the decision some, but we'll get our answer to that around July 2nd, till then we can only speculate. I have heard no updates whatsoever about any of the staff prospects after the news of D'antoni letting of people things sort of hit a standstill. Which may or may not mean something, because they were talking about how in a rush D'antoni was to quickly put together his coaching staff for next season.

The letting go ofs happened and the speculation as to who would replace them would happen..and then suddenly.. it just stopped. Makes me wonder why.

Exactly. Does anyone recall how we looked without Kobe when teams seriously competed against us?? That's how it's going to be until at least December

That 28-12 record was due to Kobe playing like vintage Kobe, dropping 30+ points, 6-7 rebounds and 6-7 assists. All while controlling the offense. That record was due to Kobe isoing on the wing or in the post, reading defense and assisting. That kind of offense will not work in the playoffs once adjustments are made. Keep that ^ in mind, when discussing our 28-12 record or saying we had the 2nd or 3rd best record after the all-star break.

As for the Lakers plan B, IMO, if Dwight does not resign then they might trade Gasol to get players to fit D'Antonis style.